Perigord Retreats in Spring. March has been warm this year, 22 degrees centigrade (72 Fahrenheit) and full sunshine during the day which has been fabulous. We had been concerned that this early spring may be ruined by frost but, so far, we are in the clear.
As part of our continued development to make Perigord Retreats more attractive to our visiting artists, we are always filling spaces with additional plants and trees. We are gradually developing an orchard full of cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, plums and pears. Once they have all reached maturity, we are expecting bumper crops. The blossom of each tree and species is different and it is amazing to watch them all flower at different times. There may be a couple of casualties in the process but we will soon replace. Check out our Instagram page to see some more photos of spring in the Perigord.
When we cut the grass in the field, we make sure we save the cuttings and mulch them round the bases of the trees. We have also had to make cages around them all to stop my favourite hens from scratching all the grass out to find themselves some worms that have got to ground under the moist mulch. One job always leads to another.
The Perigord region is famous for its figs and we have planted lots of bushes. You will be tasting their fruit in our hand made fig confiture to go with foie gras which is one of our local delicacies. One of our other specialities is fresh figs baked with Roquefort cheese and lardons (small pieces of rich bacon). We love to use all our local produce and are proud of our farm to table vegetables and fruits. It is amazing what you can pack in to a couple of acres behind our gardens.
The camellias have been showing off their flowers and we have several colours. Sometimes, they get a little confused as it has been slightly too hot – the flowers burn and then drop off. As the temperature drops, new flowers appear and gradually, it adjusts itself.
The azaleas are also in full bloom with beautiful colours and long lasting in the process. Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are also in flower so it looks pretty spectacular here at the moment. Hopeing our photos will allow you to share some of the natural beauty that abounds.